New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS): Around 21 crore man-days employment has been provided under the Garib Kalyan Rozgar Abhiyaan (GKRA), said an official statement on Thursday.

According to the Ministry of Rural Development: "GKRA is taking action on mission mode to provide employment to migrant workers who have returned to their native villages of six states namely Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The Abhiyaan is empowering villagers with livelihood opportunities in 116 districts of these states."

By the seventh week itself a total of about 21 crore man-days employment has been provided and Rs 16,768 crore has been spent so far, said the statement.

In the pursuit of the objectives of the Abhiyaan, a large number of structures have been created including 77,974 water conservation structures, 2.33 lakh rural houses, 17,933 cattle sheds, 11,372 farm ponds, and 3,552 community sanitary complexes, said the Ministry.

In addition, 6,300 works have been taken up through District Mineral Funds, 764 Gram Panchayats have been provided Internet connectivity, and 25,487 candidates have been provided skill training through Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) during the Abhiyaan, as per the statement.

The GKRA's success so far can be seen as the convergent efforts of 12 departments and State governments, which are giving a higher quantum of benefits to the migrant workers and rural communities.

The Abhiyaan was launched to boost employment and livelihood opportunities for migrant workers returning to villages and similarly affected citizens in the rural areas, in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.